Comment - Hanna C. After a groundbreaking lawsuit against Match was filed this past Valentine's Day, our usage of and dependency on dating apps has found itself in flux. Yesterday, it felt like we were singing the praises of the relative ease in digitally connecting strangers for pleasurable pursuits.
How did we get here? Credit: Hanna C. Easter is miserable in Oslo, no matter when it falls on the calendar. I sat in a cafe, hating everyone who walked by with skis, on their way to a hytte outside the city.
This year, a lot of friends are out of town. To add on to this seasonal malaise, I went dating app dry recently. Cold turkey. On the wagon. After approximately 2. What was the kicker? But I digress. This past Valentine's Day the irony of it all! What happened? A recent conversation with a pal back in Canada about my suddenly stagnant dating life led her to comment about the crop of potential suitors in Toronto.
She was horrified at her options, the countless juvenile comments and repetitive exchanges. Sound familiar? But what are we on these apps for? Maria B. We already live at a time where even having a personal Instagram account exists as a brand. But do we owe each other anything after mutually swiping yes and opening up the line of communication? Even the language we use to describe dating practices supports this, as Bandinelli points out the excessive use of metaphors like betting and guessing, more than choosing and knowing The swipe or at least the seemingly never-ending trail of profiles is intoxicating and demands very limited actual engagement from us, other than a mechanical physical reflex.
Guess you could call that a match point. In late summer , I was having drinks with two male pals. Two of us had experienced long-term relationship breakups that week. The next day, I sat on my bathroom floor sifting through all the profiles who had swiped YES on mine. Strangely, in lieu of feeling validated and powerful, I felt scared. I was so utterly visible within the relatively small radius that even my 20 minute walk to work felt marred by the being-seen-ness of it all. In the search for intimacy and closeness, it felt more numb and alienating than ever.
